Aquitaine Boston Will Close for Renovations

A nearly 20-year-old restaurant in Boston's South End will close on February 21 to undergo a renovation project. Aquitaine Bar à Vin Bistrot, more commonly known as Aquitaine, was the second restaurant to open as part of The Aquitaine Group (Cinquecento, Metropolis, Gaslight Brasserie du Coin, La Motta's Italian Specialties), and will use this renovation to celebrate its 19th anniversary.

The group is partnering with Boston's Hark + Osborne design firm to revitalize the restaurant and honor the roots of the building. Aquitaine is on the first floor of the former St. Cloud Hotel at 569 Tremont St., which was built in a French style the late 1800s.

Aquitaine itself is a French-style restaurant, complete with escargots, a Mediterranean branzino, steak frites, and a special dish each day of the week, leading up to Sunday's grand beef Bourguignon.

Guests have a little less than a week to visit Aquitaine in the South End to eat these delicacies before the restaurant closes to begin renovations.

"Almost twenty years ago I began a relationship with Aquitaine, and she has seen me through more than most; I have a very special place in my heart for this restaurant, and a loyalty to the neighborhood it helped define," said The Aquitaine Group's founder, Seth Woods, in a release.

The restaurant will reopen in May in time for its 19th anniversary in the South End. There are two other Aquitaine locations in Chestnut Hill and in Dedham, and the group has a number of other eateries in the area. Updates will be available in the meantime on Aquitaine's website.